


Mad Sounds

by InkingLarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - High School, Asylum, Fluff and Angst, Ghosts, Hand Jobs, Hospitalization, Hospitals, I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO TAG OKAY, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Missing Persons, Smut, Spiritual, abandoned hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 03:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1181189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkingLarry/pseuds/InkingLarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU one shot. All Louis meant to do was sneak into the abandoned hospital and do some graffiti work with Zayn… but who knew a surprisingly handsome, young and dangerous teenage boy hiding in the shadows would become his new obsession?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mad Sounds

**Author's Note:**

> All places in this fic are purely imaginary, and if they are, they are not a reflection of the real place. This is a short one-shot I had an idea of inspired by Supernatural's episode in Season 1 named "Asylum." Thanks so much for reading, leave some feedback please! xx

“C’mon Lou, it’s not that hard to jump the fence.”

“Yeah, yeah, my legs are just damn short,” Louis grumbles, toppling over the edge of the fence and onto the sidewalk on the other side. He looks up at the building before them. The Holmes Chapel Hospital, falling down in all its years of abandonment. The paint was chipped, the windows were cracked and glass littered the sidewalk, and graffiti decorated the walls that weren't falling apart.

Zayn begins walking forward, his gym bag stuffed with spray paint cans slung over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's get in," he calls behind him.

Louis follows after him, picking the lock on the door and walking in. Zayn shuts the door behind him as a chill travels down his spine. "Right, so, let's try and avoid the North Wing. I heard some pretty wicked shit happens down there," he says.

Zayn shrugs and passes through the South Wing double doors. "Scared? C'mon." He flicks on both of their flashlights, handing one to Louis, and they begin walking down to corridor.

The rooms on either sides of them have small, cut-in windows that give a perfect view of the rooms. Hospital bed frames, rocking chairs, children's toys, and everything thought of liter the floors. Louis swallows thickly and looks ahead.

"Here we go! Looks like the least artistic," Zayn says, turning into a room. He throws the bag down and sighs, moving under the window.

From somewhere else in the hospital, a door slams.

Zayn's head whips around, and he turns his flashlight towards the door. "I'm gonna go check it out," he mutters.

"Seriously, don't. That sounded like it was coming from the North Wing."

"Stay here, watch our stuff."

With that, he leaves the room, leaving Louis looking out the window into the sunlight. He sighs and starts shuffling around in the bag, deciding on which colour to use.

Zayn screams. Louis straightens up, listening to the droning silence. Zayn was a tough guy; spirits couldn't take him down. Zayn was a jokester. If anything, Zayn was definitely not dead. The place wasn't haunted.

"Not funny Malik!" Louis yells, straining to hear a reply. The silence rages on, and he sucks in a breath. He turns to the spot of wall under the window and looks down at it.

"I don't think he's hurt."

Louis whips around, his eyes catching on a shadow, hidden in the darkness. His eyes widen and his breath catches in his throat.

A figure steps out from the gloom. Tall, curly-haired, green eyes pointed down in a mysterious glare. Immediately, Louis presses himself against the nearest wall, crying out everything he can make sense of.

"Oh, god no! Are you a ghost, please don't hurt me," Louis whimpers, gasping and grasping at the wall behind him.

The figure laughs. He's wearing a white tank top, revealing his arms, etched with so many tattoos that he could be mistaken for a children's colouring book. His lips pull up into a friendly smile, and he laughs.

"No, I'm Harry. I'm solid and very much a sane and alive person."

Louis relaxes a little bit, but he still finds himself uneasy and his voice comes out mixed with air. "You- you scared the hell out of me... why the hell are you here?" He chokes, his fingers flicking at the peeling paint on the wall.

Harry shrugs, looking up at the walls around him. While his eyes aren't pointed at Louis, Louis looks him up and down. He's quite well dressed for an insane teenage boy. His legs are constrained in tight black jeans, his feet protected by worn-out brown boots.

"I like it here," Harry says quietly. "So many insane people. Children, women, men, the elderly... they have interesting stories."

Louis presses himself back against the wall. Harry's insane, talking shit, probably a ghost lying straight to his face before he presses a knife against his neck. He wishes the wall were further back, or he hadn't pressed himself against it in the first place. Now, the distance between them is suffocating; and it's well over ten feet.

Louis decides to play it cool. Telling a ghost they're insane just might cut his life an extra ten minutes short. “Okay, but why are you here right now and why are you talking to me, specifically? Why not just hide out? I could report you to the police if I wanted to. Trespassing.”

"And you would be in the same boat. I'm always here."

From the other wing in the hospital, Zayn yells again. Louis runs past Harry and out the door, looking down the hall, his flashlight disposed of somewhere on the floor due to its lack of purpose. He swallows thickly, not seeing Zayn anywhere. The prick, scaring him like that.

Louis turns back around, expecting Harry to be right there, but he's gone. He's not even hidden away in the shadows, not standing in any of the rooms around him. "Hello?" Louis whispers. "Where the hell are you?"

The room only stays silent for a few minutes, before there's footsteps and then laughter. He feels Zayn punch is arm, and he turns around to face him coldly. He walks back into the room, Zayn on his heels.

"I got you good," Zayn wheezes, slapping his knee. "I'm kidding bro. I'm fine. One of the rooms down there has an electrocution chair, it's fucking creepy. By the way, who the hell were you talking to?"

Louis looks around the room one more time, and then furrows his eyebrows. He lets his hand come up to cradle one of his elbows, and he shrugs. "He was just here..." he murmurs. "I was talking to him. He's not a ghost either. He was just... here."

Zayn raises an eyebrow and huffs. He reaches into the bag and throws Louis a can, which he catches successfully. "Whatever man. Let's paint it and leave, the place is kind of creepy."

Louis gulps and lowers himself onto one knee, painting a black line across the wall. He looks behind him, and then back to the graffiti. He paints in big, fat, blue letters,  _Westside_  and then throws the can in the bag, all the while making sure Harry's not anywhere near him.

 

~

 

Louis falls onto the sidewalk of the abandoned hospital. He flashes his flashlight across the building, the light shining through a few broken windows. He frowns and flicks on his phone; 2:02am. He just hopes Harry's awake.

He breaks in through the door again, although the lock had already been broken by them the previous day's afternoon.

He begins walking carefully and quietly, heading back down the South Wing's long corridor. He searches through rooms with his flashlight, all the while listening to the eerie silence of the abandoned building.

His beam of light falls into one room in particular, and he immediately identifies it as the room he'd spraypainted with Zayn. He tiptoes into it, and then turns off his flashlight, although the dark is more threatening than the upturned rooms.

Louis swallows thickly and speaks into the darkness. "Are you here right now?"

He searches around the room, and then looks over at the window. The moonlight beams onto Harry's figure, bent over next to the wall. Louis jumps, looking at Harry as though he's absolutely absurd.

"Heard you coming in," he says casually. His fingers brush over the paint Louis and Zayn had laid down yesterday. He gulps and focuses on Harry, watching as his brows lower over his eyes and his gaze redirects up to focus on Louis.

“It’s a shame some people can’t even respect the remains of the people who have been laid to rest here. They’re quite upset now, you did quite a nice job.”

Louis looks at him blankly, and then chuckles. "You're mad," he mutters.

"So I come to know."

"You belong in a place like this," Louis says, looking down on Harry. Harry looks out the window, straightening up. His brows are pressed farther down, and he looks quite upset. "I'm not crazy," he mumbles, although his voice is extremely easy to hear. "Besides, this is a hospital, not an asylum."

Louis shifts his weight onto one leg, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why do you call them insane, then?"

"Aren't they?" Harry asks, turning around to face him. “Being trapped here makes a person go mad. Likewise, you’re talking to an example. You’re coming here by choice, you’re choosing the insanity… I was like you once.”

"Look, I don't even know why I came back here in the morning of a school night. I have classes, sure, and you're fucking insane. You stay in a creepy abandoned hospital for... what I believe to be all day long. You hide in the shadows like a ghost, but you're most certainly not a ghost, even though you could be a very solid one... I've never touched you. But you're creepy, and I'm leaving, alright? Careful around here."

Louis furrows his brows and with his small speech, turns to leave. He takes another step when suddenly, he hears police sirens in the background. He tenses up, hands flailing around.

He turns to Harry, and then runs to the window. He watches the cars come down the street, and then park in front of the building.

Louis takes in a sharp breath and looks back at Harry. Harry's eyes are wide, staring at the floor. "I forgot. The usual," he murmurs.  He darts toward Louis, grabbing his wrist. Louis gasps at the sudden contact, but he doesn't have much time to react before he's being yanked forward. Harry runs extremely fast, probably due to his long legs, and Louis finds it hard to catch up.

"Look, wonderful time to confirm I'm not a ghost and you're touching me," Harry chats.

"Yeah, okay, why the hell are the police here?"

Harry shrugs, slowing to a walk. They pass through a door and Harry starts leading him through a room as he organizes a reply. "My first guess would be because you've left home in the middle of the night, but on second guess, the date. It's getting closer to the summer solstice, the spirits get to touch the real world... and they probably did the same thing they did for the winter solstice. Set half of the North Wing on fire, since they already accomplished that with the South."

Louis tries to dig his heels against the floorboards and bring Harry to a stop, but he finds the motion unsuccessful and sighs. "How do they even do that?" he asks. Suddenly, he freezes. "Wait... how do I know you're not just a ghost on a summer solstice pass?"

"Because," Harry says, dragging him into shadows behind a carefully stacked tower of chairs. "You can trust me."

Louis feels him sit down, and so Louis folds his knees up to his chest, his back pressed against the wall. He feels Harry breathing against him, his arm bumping his own every few minutes. Their breathing synchronizes, and beneath it, the police sirens ring.

They sit like that for a while, uncommunicative, just listening to the comforting silence. It takes a while for the silence to become uncomfortable, and Louis clears his throat.

"Now, seriously though... why are you here?"

There's no reply.

Louis groans, pushing himself up. "Of course you left," he grumbles. 

He carefully climbs out of the stack of chairs, sliding against the wall in the darkness. He feels around for the doorway and leaves it, listening carefully to the sound of police talking. He focuses in on their conversation, travelling down the hall making as little noise as possible, when a beam of light focuses on him.

"You!" A voice yells, and then there's stomping. Louis' whole body shuts down into a motionless glob. Maybe he's broken the law before, by drinking under the age and vandalizing, but he's never been caught. At least it was coming sooner or later.

The police center in on him, forcing him to his knees. Louis folds his hands behind his head, all the while yelling over their voices.

"No! This is a very paranormal place and I'm here with some insane boy who tends to be here every time I am- which is only twice, for the record- I don't know where he is, please believe me, I don't commit crimes."

The head police officer snorts, clicking his hand cuffs open. He closes one around Louis' wrist, and Louis feels his throat constrict. He chokes and knows that it's most likely over when another officer interrupts them.

"I found something! Stop cuffing the kid, come look, real quick!"

The officer looks from Louis to his partner, and then raises a brow. He snaps the other handcuff around his other wrist, helping Louis to his feet. Louis struggles with his hands clamped together around his back and he sighs.

"The boy said something about another. Send the team searching. Lead me, this one's coming with me until you can prove something different."

Louis gulps as the officer leads him though the hall in the North Wing. A set of firefighters run past them, setting Louis' heart into a rapid beating mode.

They turn into a room with an electrocution chair and hospital beds. The room gives off an eerie feeling on its own, but the red writing on the wall is the most disturbing part.

The officer points to the writing, and the one with a firm grip on Louis' arm reads it with wide eyes.

_My name is Sofia and I will burn this place down._

"Supernatural," the officer murmurs. "I hate this kind of ghost shit."

"I told you," Louis says, and the cop's grip tightens. Louis yelps and he lets go of him, taking his hands. "This isn't the first time this has happened. It happened the past four years too, little writing. Clever little shit of a criminal... never caught him. Maybe it would be you, but I doubt you'd... yeah. You don't seem like the guy, but you're still breaking the law by being out past curfew. We're going to send you home, file some paperwork."

Louis sighs in relief, nodding. "I'll take it over jail time."

"You're too young, kid."

"Twenty?"

The officer shrugs, sticking the cuffs back into his belt pouch. Louis rubs at his wrists; the cuffs were agonizingly tight. He'd hate to be in them again.

 

~

 

He sits in the backseat of a police car to a station and finally home after an hour of signing papers and giving witness accounts of the crime. It's four in the morning when Louis makes his way through the front door, a cop standing behind him.

Louis' mum opens the front door and gasps. "What in the name of God is going on?"

"Ma'am, we found your son at a crime scene out past curfew. We've decided he wasn't guilty of the crime, simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. We'd like you to sign a few documents confirming your son was brought home."

She stares at Louis coldly, and he's forced to look away. He steps past her into the house, and the officer behind her.

They sit in the kitchen and sign a few papers, Louis up in his room. His mum finally comes up the stairs at 4:30am and knocks on his door.

"Come in," Louis says.

His mum storms in, brandishing a finger at him. "I don't even want to see you out of this house again, hear me?! And at a crime scene?! What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Mum, to be honest, I wasn't alone. I was there with someone." Louis groans, throwing his head against the pillow. "He lives in that hospital."

"You need therapy," his mum retorts, taking a seat next to him on the bed. "You can't wander around an abandoned hospital and see... ghosts. It's not normal."

"He wasn't a ghost, mum! He was real, I'm telling you-"

"No, I don't even want to hear it, Louis! You were seeing a ghost. You're going insane." She steps onto her feet and points at the clock. "You have an hour to sleep before I'm pulling you out of that bed for classes, hear me?"

Louis sniffs and lets the door slam as his mother leaves the room. He throws his head against the pillow and lets out a small cry. "Insane... no, I'm not."

 

~

 

Zayn claps him on the shoulder, and Louis laughs. "See you tomorrow, right bro?" Zayn asks, pulling him closer by the shoulder. His lips are hot against Louis' ear, sending chills crawling down his spine.

"Big prank at the subway station, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember, uh... yeah, I'll try and be there."

"Try?" Zayn raises an eyebrow. "You said a week ago you're definitely going to be there."

Louis shrugs, trying to hide any visual hints that his mind is racing with thoughts of Harry. If he's okay, if he's still hiding away in the hospital, if he hasn't forgotten about Louis yet... but he can't have forgotten. Because of him, Louis got an hour of sleep that night.

"Maybe. Something's come up," Louis says, pulling away with a small wave. "I'll catch you later!"

He bursts out the front doors of the high school, yanking out his phone and sending a text to his mum.

_had to stay after for a bit of calculus help. going to a friends afterwards. - LT_

He turns the opposite way from home, following the mass of students making a run for their homes for the weekend. Louis knows the route from school to the Holmes Chapel Hospital; him and Zayn had conquered it earlier that Wednesday.

His back and shoulders get jostled as everyone runs and jumps at each other, but he doesn't mind. The crowd begins to thin out, and he's made it to the street the hospital is off of when his phone buzzes.

_Who's? - Mum_

_u wouldnt know him, hes a calculus pro, gonna tutor me, play some games. names Bryan. - LT_

In all honesty, there was no kid named "Bryan" at his school that he knew of. In truth, he didn't even really have friends except for maybe Zayn and his boyfriend Liam. And even Zayn's friend group was small, with his gorgeous Vogue model face and boyfriend. It was the "boyfriend" part that got that, but all he needed was Louis.

Louis pulls his denim jacket tighter around his body as a wind rips through the air. He turns the corner and freezes.

In front of the hospital are multiple police cars, an ambulance, a firetruck and lots of civilians. Louis starts walking faster after he's unlocked his body. The crew from last night had left at seven; they were clearing out when Louis' bus passed by that morning. Obviously, there was another reason.

Louis taps an elderly woman on the shoulder, and she turns around with a surprised look.

"Hi, what's happened?" Louis asks quietly.

"Oh, a boy was just killed. The police are trying to find out who," she says with a smile, placing a frail hand on his shoulder. "This place is a scary one, a fire broke out last night as well. They think it's the same person, but nobody can be sure. Do what's best for you and turn away, okay son?"

Louis nods, but his heart is racing. A boy, murdered. Certainly not the only boy that was there to murder 24 hours a day. Not Harry. Harry couldn't have been murdered... he couldn't have been the murderer. But then again, he was insane. He was a teenage boy that, despite his amazingly good looks, lived in a 200 year old abandoned hospital. It was only a matter of time before Harry had murdered someone.

Louis' blood is suddenly boiling with rage, and he runs a full circle around the hospital. One of the doors is unblocked and not taped off, so carefully making sure there was nobody watching from the buildings nearby, he breaks inside.

He swallows thickly as he presses himself against the wall, slithering against it. He ducks behind the flashing of lights, holds his breath and runs into rooms when police officers pass him. Suddenly, there's running. Louis whips around, but he doesn't get much of a chance to see who's coming. A hand is clamped over his mouth and another around his chest, pulling him into the nearest room with ease.

Louis struggles to scream, trying to fight out of the grip. Suddenly a voice is in his ear. "Would you stop being so difficult?!"

Louis relaxes a bit when Harry releases him, but he jumps back and breathes heavily.

"Did you murder him?!" Louis whispers harshly, pointing his finger at Harry disapprovingly.

Harry shakes his head wildly, shaking his hands. "No! I can't even go down to that wing, it's... never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing, okay? Stay down here. That North Wing is full of lunatics... you'll be next if a cop isn't. They've got it all wrong, got the South Wing pretty locked down. Think the South Wing is the dangerous one. They won't be getting down here, but you won't be getting out."

Harry coughs and lets out a sigh. Louis stares at him uncertainly, trying to look bigger than he is, his shoulders thrust out and his fists clench. He lowers his hand and looks down at his feet, then up at Harry. Harry's eyes stare into his own, and Louis feels his hands go sweaty.

"Why can't you go down there, Harry?"

Harry's eyes drift away from Louis, his eyebrows furrowing. "It's... I can't tell you, alright?" he says quietly.

Harry's mind takes him away from where he is now, and he's suddenly picturing the day five months ago. Him and Niall are walking through the South Wing, light from the afternoon sun proving to make flashlights unneeded. Niall gulps and reaches out for Harry's hand. He intertwines their fingers and squeezes, pressing into Harry's side.

_"I'm scared, why the hell did you bring me here?" Niall laughs nervously. He runs his free hand through his dyed blonde hair and looks up at Harry carefully._

_"Don't be so damn scared! You've always wanted to go through this place, remember babe?" Harry smiles. He plants a kiss on Niall's forehead, watching Niall's lips perk up into a small smile._

_"Yeah, okay. I'm not scared but... this place is creepy."_

_"Yup... hey, look at that." Harry points to the chair sitting in the abandoned room. Its armrests have locks for where wrists should go, a headrest and a footrest. Niall raises an eyebrow and pulls away from Harry._

_"Is that an electricution chair?" He asks, choking on the last word._

_"Yeah. They did some cruel things to people here..." Harry wanders off, running a finger across the armrest._

_"This is a hospital though!" Niall whines. "That's so awful-"_

_"I dare you to sit in it."_

_"What?" Niall laughs, shaking his head. "The hell is wrong with you? You know how old that thing is?"_

_Harry smirks. "Scared?"_

_Niall stares down at the chair, glancing up at Harry, and then glaring at him. Niall sticks out his tongue and cautiously climbs into the seat, stiffly sitting upright._

_"No, c'mon, relax. Let me strap you in." Harry says, moving to touch Niall, but he jumps._

_"Hell no! With my luck some bastard who died here is gonna come and murder me while I'm in it!"_

_"I think you've got a bigger chance of someone slitting your throat for calling them a bastard for someone to murder you because you sat in their death chair."_

_Niall snorts and rolls his eyes, his fingers gripping at the armrests._

_"Okay, can I-" Niall starts, but his voice is cut off by the sound of the wrist restraints shutting quickly._

_Niall starts shaking around, trying his hardest to get out of the chair. "No, no what the hell is happening, Harry!"_

_Harry takes a step back and stares in horror as a horrible electrical sound fills the room. Niall's eyes flash up to him, widening and staring at him in absolute shock._

_Niall feels his limbs start to tingle, and he just stares at Harry. "Stop this, stop it Harry."_

_He doesn't say much more as a treacherous shaking violently rips through his body. Harry screams, watching Niall's eyes roll back into his head. He continues to shake, involuntary noises escaping his mouth. The rattling goes on for minutes, Harry too afraid to touch the chair out of fear of electrocution himself, and then everything is silent and calm._

_He takes a step forward, tears pooling down his cheeks. He lets out a choke and places a hand on Niall's cheek, feeling the smooth skin that was once alive._

_"Niall?" Harry whispers. "Please, no. No, I love you, come back to me! I didn't do it! Come back to me... come back to me."_

_He collapses into a pile on the floor, burying his head in his hands, and he sits there for a few minutes in silence. He feels something light on his shoulder and he takes in a sharp breath._

_He looks up, behind himself. A pale, half transparent figure is standing there over him, and its face is oh so familiar. Harry cries harder, studying Niall's cold eyes._

_"You killed me, did you know?" The new, ghostly Niall asks. Harry turns his head around, looking at the lifeless form of Niall in the chair._

_"Let the police find my body... hide here. Stay with me."_

_Harry nods, shivering with tears. "I'm sorry," he whispers._

His mind rips him away from the world he's in and he's back in the room, Louis staring at him expectantly. "Um, right..." he says quietly. "The police won't be leaving for a while... and I doubt you'll be able to get out the way you've come, anyway. I'd say you're stuck for the night..."

"The whole night?" Louis asks. He scratches the back of his neck and sighs. "At least it's a Friday."

"Wait, you're staying?" Harry asks, raising an eyebrow. Louis shrugs, throwing his hands up hopelessly.

"Do I have any choice?"

"Well..." Harry chuckles. "You sneaked in, you can get out... you'd really stay here overnight?"

"Yeah, sure. It's kind of weird sleeping alone in abandoned hospital all the time, right? I mean, would you like my company, or should I go home or am I bother-"

"Hey," Harry says, taking a step to Louis. "You're not a bother."

Harry turns down the hall, leaving Louis to let a huge smile cross his lips. He follows after Harry quietly, avoiding all of the scattered furniture.

They go down a hall Louis has never seen before, turn right two times, and then swing a left, and they come to a room. In the room there's two flashlights serving as lamps, one mattress with bed sheets scattered all over, and what looks like a home. There's food set out on a few napkins on a desk that looks ready to fall apart. There's two books sitting on the floor next to the mattress;  _A Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy_ and  _The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe._

"I didn't know you liked the book series," Louis says, pointing. He walks over to the mattress after asking for Harry's permission, picking up the books. "So this is where you live?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's not much but... it's enough, you know?"

Louis looks at him quizzically. "No, I don't know. I've never given up my school life and my cozy home for an abandoned hospital with psycho ghosts."

"Hey, don't talk to them like that. They can hear you... and they will hurt you," Harry admits. He sits down on the mattress next to Louis, looking at the books in Louis' hands.

"Um, if they do hurt you... tell them you're here with Harry. They really hate talking about the weather for some reason, so just talk to them about that, and... stay safe. I've got to go check on something."

Harry goes to stand up, but Louis grabs his wrist. "Where?"

Harry smiles with half of his lips. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Harry's voice is soft when he says it, sending Louis' skin crawling. Harry inches closer to him, his lips parted to reveal his top teeth. Louis flutters his eyelashes and furrows his eyebrows, confused, but he doesn't question what's happening. Harry gently presses his own lips against Louis', lingering there for a few seconds, and then he pulls away. His hand falls out of Louis' grip and he runs out of the room and down the hall before Louis can catch him.

Louis jumps up and starts to chase after him, but his legs are short and Harry obviously knows his way around silently. Louis groans and his fingers raise up and touch at his lips gingerly.

"He just did that," Louis chuckles. "How."

Hours pass. Louis reads multiple chapters of  _The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy_  and, after retrieving his backpack halfway down the hall, he completes his homework.

The time reaches midnight and Harry still hasn't come back to the room. Louis sighs and buries himself in Harry's comforters, hoping he won't mind.

"Figures he'd leave me to sleep with insane spirits," Louis mutters to himself.

 

~

 

He wakes up with a hand on his back, rubbing gentle circles into his shoulder blade. He grunts and rolls over, silencing Harry's whispering.

"Where am I?" Louis groans.

"Uh... South Wing, with me."

"You came back."

"Yeah, I did... sorry I took so long."

"'S alright," Louis grunts, rolling over. He pushes himself up and rubs lazily at his eyes. He looks over at Harry, and even though his vision is blurry because he's just woken up, he can make out the perfect features of Harry's face. He looks uneasy, but it's nothing different.

"Who're you talking to?"

"Um..." Harry shifts uncomfortably, looking down at a wrinkle in some of the sheets. "Talking to a nice ghost... nice one. Peaceful." Harry glances over at the ghostly pale figure of Niall, standing there glaring at him. Harry's hand slides off of Louis' back, and he's positive Louis is unaware Niall is there.

"Oh. Look, okay. We need to clear things up about that kiss last night."

Harry's jaw clenches. His eyes flick to Niall, and his expression is hard. Niall's face drops and Harry can feel Niall burning holes through his skull.

Louis continues on, looking at Harry for any sign of an emotion change. "How did you know I was gay?" he asks quietly.

Harry shrugs. "I... well, I just knew you came here with your boyfriend about three days ago..."

Louis laughs. "Zayn's not my boyfriend. And if he was, why would you kiss me?"

"I don't know, alright?" Harry says. He looks up at Louis, finally. His eyes are soft, his hair messy and his fringe matted all over his forehead. He looks so fluffy and cuddlable. Harry feels his stomach knot and he lets himself smile a bit, before Niall moves a bit and Harry remembers he's still there. "Because..." Harry starts, "It just felt... right, you know?"

"I... I guess." Louis pushes himself up, stretching. "What time is it?"

Harry grabs Louis' phone and flicks it on. "Eleven in the afternoon, you've got two texts and two percent battery."

"Ah, fuck it. I'll just go home. Thanks for letting me stay."

"No, thank you," Harry beams, standing up. He opens his arms out for Louis, and surprisingly, Louis gives him a light hug.

"Come back tonight?" Harry begs.

Louis nods, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He uses the reflection of his phone to fix his hair, and then he waves. "Tonight. This room, I remember how to get here."

"Oh... okay."

Louis leaves, leaving Harry standing there with Niall looking down on him. He stands up, and before he can take two steps, Niall throws him against the wall.

"You're getting stronger because that solstice is- coming- please, get off!" Harry yells, trying to grab onto his wrists and push him away. Niall's grip is threatening. "Besides, how didn't Louis see you too?"

"I can hide for who I want to hide," Niall spits. "If I were you, I'd watch his ass. I know a few pissed off ghosts around here, and if it comes to it, I'll be joining them."

Niall lets go of him roughly, and then he's gone before Harry can say anything else. Harry sighs and scrubs his hands down his face. "Right... okay."

 

~

 

Sure enough, Louis sneaks out again that night, equipped with just a flashlight and his nearly dead phone. However, instead of going in through the front doors and taking a left for the South Wing, he swings right; walking right past the heavy doors of the North Wing.

The rooms on this side of the hospital are different. They're smaller, no windows, broken doors. Words and symbols scratched into the walls, and if there is a window, it's because something awful is in the room. For example, there's two rooms with electrocution chairs, two with dozens of hospital stretchers and room filled with odd, fifty year old jars.

Louis steps on a pile of glass, jumping back. He lifts up his foot to see a shard of glass lodged in his shoe. He groans, pulls it out and throws it somewhere. He swings his flashlight around again when, after his glass breaks on a wall, a door slams.

"Harry?" He croaks. He looks around the hall, finding the walls suddenly eerie. He swears his light lands on a set of eyes, blue ones, but it's gone as fast as it came and Louis is scared out of hell.

There's a crunching sound to his left, and then something falls. Once again he shines his light into the dark room. Furniture is stacked up to the ceiling against one wall, paper littering the floor that isn't occupied. It sounds like something's crawling.

"Harry, stop it," Louis says, slowly making his way into the room. His breath is staggered and heavy, his chest suddenly feeling tight.

He's standing in the middle of the room, inspecting the furniture, when his flashlight starts to flicker and die. Louis smacks it against his hand but it doesn't come back to life.

"Serio-" Louis starts, but then the door slams and he's submerged in darkness. He runs to the door and bangs against it, wanting to scream, but he can't.

He gasps for air as he's thrown against a wall, missing the stack of furniture by a few feet.

He opens his eyes wide, trying to see through the darkness, and he makes out the trace of a figure. His hand is pinning Louis against the wall by his neck, and as much as Louis scratches at the hand, he can't feel it. All he can feel is the burning sensation in his lungs as they lack air.

Of course Louis wouldn't know that he's been locked in a room and pinned to a wall by his neck by Niall Horan.

"Don't go near Harry, hear me?" Niall spits angrily in his face. Louis' eyes sting with tears and he nods, hoping the ghost doesn't have much more to say because he's about to pass out. He gasps again, sucking in air that gets caught in his throat.

The ghost seems to vanish and Louis slumps against the wall, heaving and crying all at the same time. Harry? What was so bad about Harry that spirits were willing to nearly kill him for?

"Harry," he wheezes, a hand placed firmly over his heart. He coughs and sputters a bit and then screams louder. "Harry!"

It takes a few seconds of heavy breathing for him to hear footsteps and angry panting. Louis grabs at the wall behind him. "Please, oh god no, Harry!"

"LOUIS!" Harry calls back. Louis can hear the footsteps, but he can't see them because he's in a room with no windows and the door's shut. Louis pushes himself up, standing as Harry bangs on the door.

"I can't open it!" Louis yells.

"Stand back!"

There's an angry grunt and then the door falls in on itself, Harry's leg is sticking out against where it would be. Harry squints into the room and his eyes land on Louis, and he runs to him. He wraps his arms around Louis' neck and pulls him into his chest. Louis fists at the fabric of his plain white cotton shirt, choking once again. He feels Harry's chest rumble as he screams.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH LOUIS!" He roars, stroking through Louis' feathery hair. Louis sucks in a sharp breath and then lets it out, shakily, as Harry holds him at arms' distance.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? What did he say? Why the hell were you even down in this wing, I told you not to come!” Harry asks, his eyes flicking back and forth as he studies all of Louis' features.

Louis sputters a bit on his tears and raises a hand to his neck. He feels the small scratch marks there and nods. "I... I'm alright," he says quietly, and draws his hand back. Blood stains his fingers and he gulps. "But I think I'm bleeding."

Harry furrows his eyebrows angrily, but somehow he still manages to feel Louis' neck gingerly. He looks at the blood and his eyes widen. Harry quickly scoops Louis up bridal style, earning a small giggle from Louis.

"Set me down, I'm fine, I'm not dying," Louis says, but Harry's already running down the hall as fast as he can. Louis stares at Harry's dead serious face, his lips curling up into a smile. Harry's strong, and beautiful, even when he's mad.

Harry bursts into his room and sets Louis down on the mattress gently, running to the corner of the room. Out from a drawer he pulls a strip of gauze and returns to Louis' side.

"How the hell do you have all of this, anyway?" Louis asks, tilting his neck to the side as Harry rips a shred of the gauze off. He begins placing it on Louis' neck, dabbing at the wetness. He shrugs.

"I have visitors. I anger mad spirits... so of course I can doctor people."

Harry's gaze returns to Louis' neck, but Louis still stares at him intently. Louis tries to feel the spot on his neck, but Harry brushes his hand away.

When Harry finally thinks Louis' stare is too much to handle, he looks at him. God, are his eyes as vast and blue as an ocean. Louis blinks, and his eyelashes shine a bit in the moonlight coming through the window.

Slowly, carefully, with Harry's hand still applying pressure to his neck, Louis tilts his chin up. His eyes flutter shut, and his lips pucker in the slightest way. Harry bends down the short way that he has to and carefully, cautiously, places his lips against Louis'.

They fit together in a way that Harry's never had with Niall. They fit like puzzle pieces, like one without the other and the picture isn't full unless they're together. Harry deepens the kiss a bit, opening his mouth and placing it over Louis' again.

Louis tugs Harry down on top of him, groaning as their crotches press against each other. Harry feels the material of his jeans grow a little bit tighter, and he slips his tongue into Louis' mouth. He flicks it across his bottom lip, cracking his eyes open and then pulling back with a frown.

"Louis, you're hurt," he whines. Louis gives him a quizzical look, and then Harry feels his hand trace down the line of his back and come to rest right above his bum.

"Does it look like I care? Kiss me," Louis says, bringing his lips up to Harry's again.

And Harry gives up. He falls into the kiss with as much passion and as much fire as he's always wished he felt. His hand falls away from Louis' neck and his eyes open in alarm, but Louis rolls his eyes and pushes him down onto him harder.

Harry moans and slides off of him, kicking off his boots. They land somewhere else in the room, and as he takes off his shirt, just slowly enough to feel Louis' eyes scanning his body, he smiles.

Louis sits up and he places his small hands against Harry's chest. He traces the wings of the swallows on his chest, feeling the sweat collect beneath his palms.

"So pretty," Louis chuckles, looking up at Harry. "Did you... I have a bird too."

"You do?" Harry asks, raising an eyebrow.

Louis shrugs off his denim jacket, leaving him in a black tee. Harry looks down at the bird on his forearm, and then points to the compass. He smiles.

"You guide my ship home," he whispers, placing a hand over the ship on his shoulder.

Louis' eyes widen and he laughs. "I love you," he whispers.

Harry stares back at him intently. "I love you."

Louis pops the button on his skinny jeans, letting Harry slide them down his legs, even though he struggles.

"We're a hot mess," Louis laughs as his jeans are finally disregarded next to the mattress. Harry nods, sliding himself back over Louis. He props himself up on his hands, hovering over Louis.

"Take your shirt off for me. Your thighs are beautiful... I want to see the rest of you."

In the split second that Harry catches it, Louis looks scared. "Are you... are you sure?" he gulps.

Harry nods, sitting down next to him and helping Louis take his shirt off. Louis' arms momentarily cover up the bottom half of his stomach. "I have a tummy," he says.

Harry moves his hands away. "I love it," he chuckles. "I can hold onto you."

Louis blushes feverishly, watching as Harry struggles out his own jeans. "Why do you wear skinnies?"

"So do you."

"Fair point," Louis says, crossing his legs. "But it makes it harder to get out of them. Longer for me to wait to fuck you."

Harry freezes, looking over at Louis. Louis looks hurt now. "Is that... is that not what you were going to do?" Louis croaks.

Harry smirks, throwing his jeans somewhere else. "No, it wasn't," he says, placing himself down in front of Louis on his knees. Louis falls back against the bed, staring at Louis.

"I was going to fuck you." Harry says, throwing himself on top of Louis and kissing him hard. Louis gasps in his mouth, moaning in appreciation as Harry rocks against him.

"There's... two layers... between us," he says between kisses. Louis' small hands quickly rip Harry's boxers down his legs, as far as he can push them, letting his cock spring free.

"One," Harry says, sliding his own boxers off and then yanking Louis' off as well.

Louis smiles, but his mouth quickly takes on the shape of an "O" as he feels Harry's hand wrap around him.

"Harry," he gasps. "No... no lube."

"Who said I didn't have any?" Harry smirks, getting up and walking over to his dresser again. He pulls out a small bottle, waving it between his fingers. "I... I had it for someone else... when I first came here," he gulps. "But now it's just you."

Louis frowns, but flips over onto his stomach. He feels Harry over him, hears a bottle lid flick open and the sound of Harry slicking up. And finally, he feels Harry against his bum.

"Have you ever been fucked by a guy before?" Harry asks, pressing his cheek against Louis' neck and kissing at his shoulders. Louis nods, whimpering a little.

"Only twice by an old buddy named Stan."

"Ah," Harry says, and then carefully, he brushes himself against Louis' hole. He listens to Louis breathe in quickly, and then presses himself in.

Louis groans, tensing up. Harry pulls out again, and then presses back in a little further.

"Harry-" Louis gasps, fisting at the fabric of the sheets. His toes curl a bit as Harry presses in even further, and Louis' eyes bulge.

Harry kisses Louis again, before pulling Louis up. He pulls him into a hands-and-knees position and then pulls out, thrusting in again. He wraps one hand around Louis' cock and another around his chest.

Louis moans, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fuck-" he chokes out. "Hard."

Harry thrusts in again, a bit rougher, and then picks up a faster pace. Louis whines with each thrust, Harry's hand pumping at his cock and gripping his chest.

Louis moans a bit louder, looking up. "Close," he wheezes.

Harry thrusts in again, and Louis yelps. Harry feels the stickiness coat his hands, and he himself comes as well.

Harry groans and falls against Louis, pushing them both to the mattress. Louis pants, and then whines as he feels his mess spread across his abdomen.

"I laid in it," he laughs. Harry slides out, flopping down next to him. Harry places a light kiss on his temple, and then pulls the covers over them both.

"I'll clean it in the morning," Harry pants, looking around the room. Nobody's been eavesdropping. He smiles and wraps an arm around Louis, pulling him into him. Louis curls himself against Harry's chest, placing his head under his chin.

"Goodnight," he whispers.

"Goodnight."

 

~

 

After Louis gives Harry a quick morning hand job as a goodbye, he walks into his own house at eight.

"Goddammit Lou, where were you?" His mum yells, frowning at him. "I almost called the cops for a missing child report!"

Louis looks at her and holds the coffee he had picked up on his way home out to her. He knew his mum would be worried, but even though he'd gotten the coffee for himself, he had no intention of giving her it.

"I got coffee for you," he says. She takes it and smiles. 

"Well, thank you," she laughs. "Very sweet."

Louis smiles and walks past her upstairs, walking into his own room. He sighs and expects his room to be empty, but jumps when he sees Lottie sitting on his bed.

"Why the hell are you in here?!" He asks, his eyes flicking to the PlayBoy magazines peeking out from under his pillow.

"I heard you leave last night," she says quietly. Louis swallows down the lump in his throat. "Where do you keep going?"

Louis sighs and sits down next to her, placing his hand over her own. "I... I have to check on someone," he says, looking at her. Her expression screams confusion, and he elaborates. "He's not okay, so I have to make sure that he is."

"Oh," Lottie says, looking down at her feet, her eyebrows knitted together. "Okay."

She stands up, leaving his room without another word. Louis shoves the magazines back under his pillow, groaning as he flops down onto them.

 

~

 

Niall walks into the room that he was electrocuted in and sits before the chair. He stares up at it and sighs. He hears footsteps and he looks up behind him.

"Hi," Harry says, but he takes a step back when Niall appears closer to him.

"I watched you," Niall spits. "I watched you fuck him like you did me."

"Niall," Harry sighs exasperatedly, "we've been over this... I can't keep staying here."

"Why not?" Niall asks, raising an eyebrow. "If you go back, people will wonder why you never died. People will wonder why you're still alive, and they'll accuse you of murdering me. Did you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Harry says, turning away from him. "But I can't keep staying here, all alone, talking to you! You died!"

Niall wonders what would happen if he slapped Harry across the face. He's not even sure he'd feel it; the summer solstice is tomorrow, meaning he's saving up everything he has to come back to life for the day.

"Well," Niall croaks. "You could just say you were moving on... you didn't have to fuck him in front of me."

Harry looks at him coldly. "Niall. You had a choice of whether or not to watch that."

"You're my boyfriend."

"Newsflash! My boyfriend died two months ago! Am I supposed to say I'm taken by a dead boy? No."

If Niall could cry, he would. "I died because you dared me to... I mean, you dared me to sit in that chair. You made me."

Harry turns on his heels and walks away, his fists and jaws locked angrily.

Niall stares at him walking down the hallway. He looks him up and down, from his brown boots to his see-through white tee. He groans, and then starts cackling under his breath.

He smirks and reappears at his grave site, looking at the ground where his body is. It would all come into play.

 

~

 

Louis comes back to the abandoned hospital at noon that Sunday, his Saturday booked with studies since he ditched the grand prank Zayn had arranged. Although Zayn was amazingly angry, he hadn't cared. As soon as he got his homework done, he could go back to Harry, especially since it was the longest day of the year and that meant there was more time to spend with him.

He slides in under the police tape, climbs over the gate with minimal struggling and walks into the building through the front door. And even though the light floods in through the broken windows, he still flicks on his flashlight and swings it around the room.

He lets a smile spread across his lips and he bellows out, "Harry, I'm here!" He begins walking down the South Wing, but a hand is clamped over his mouth and another around his neck.

The flashlight falls to the ground and his hands are immediately grasping at the elbow to his neck. He tries to yell and he flails around but the sound is muffled, and when he looks up, he doesn't believe his eyes.

There is Niall, glaring down at him, really there. Louis' eyes widen as Niall drags him through the North Wing and, despite Louis' continual protesting, pushes him up against the wall.

Niall's left hand is around his neck, pinning his head to the wall, his right gripping his collar. Niall hisses through his teeth as Louis gasps, hands flexing around Niall's.

"You thought you'd get away with it, did you?" Niall spits, his voice raspy and low. Louis gasps, his eyes squeezing shut and forcing themselves back open.

"Well, I saw everything you did... and it wasn't cool," he continues, and then Louis' eyes widen further, even though it doesn't seem possible, as Niall sticks his hand into his pocket. Out from it he retrieves a shiny silver blade, sharp and glistening in the sunlight.

"I can put an end to this just as easily as I could start it," Niall says, holding the knife in front of Louis' eyes. Louis screams, gasping and shaking his head, his fingers still prying at Niall's.

"You- won't," Louis croaks, and then he hears running. Fast, panicked running, and his eyes flick to the door.

Harry runs in, his eyes immediately reflecting absolute worry as he takes in the scene. "No," he whispers.

Niall laughs and presses the edge of the blade to Louis' neck. Louis lets out a little cry and tries to breath, one hand reaching out for Harry. He squeezes his eyes shut and lets out a cough, kicking his dangling feet.

"Don't do it," Harry says, taking a few steps forward. "Don't hurt him."

"You hurt me. Can't I hurt you?" Niall asks, raising an eyebrow. The grip on Louis' neck tightens ever so slightly, and Louis yells.

"Not him!" Harry says, running up to Niall, but Niall's foot catches his stomach in the split second he's not watching. Wind shoots from his mouth and he doubles over, but he recovers again. He tries to kick Niall out of the way again, but he's faster.

"But hurting him would ultimately be hurting you too... so it's a two for one deal, right?" Niall laughs, turning back to Louis. "How about I end you both?"

Louis sucks in air that doesn't help him. "Harry," he whispers.

Niall looks into his eyes, squinting, and then he sighs. "If only I didn't love Harry as much as I do," he says, and then takes the knife away from Louis' throat.

Louis sighs in relief but is quickly screaming as he feels the blade pierce below his armpit. He cries out, his eyes squeezed shut in pain, Harry yelling and making runs for Louis but Niall's kicking holding him back. Louis feels the blade trace down his left side, and then finally, digging into his stomach.

He yells as he falls to the ground, curling into a ball, clutching at his side. He hears the knife drop and the footsteps fade out into nothing. And then he feels Harry, his arms fitting under Louis' side and picking him up gently.

Harry lets out a few shaky breaths, looking down at Louis' shut eyes and hurt expressions. "Oh my god," he cries, bringing Louis' head into his chest. He holds him bridal style, crying and trying to make out shapes through the blur of his tears. "Oh my god, Louis... are you okay?"

Louis' eyes peak open, and his hand moves away from his side, his palm glistening bright red. "Harry," Louis croaks.

Harry sucks in a breath and begins to run back to the front of the Holmes Chapel Hospital. He feels Louis thumping against his chest but he doesn't care, he doesn't care, he just has to get to safety. And maybe he hasn't seen proper people in two months; but it's enough for him. He runs along the sidewalk, one hand pressing Louis' to his injury, choking out tears.

Louis' lips curl up into a smile, his eyes cracking open to look up at Harry. A single tear rolls down his cheek, and even though Harry's not looking at him, he speaks.

"I thought I said you didn't have to carry me."

Harry lets out a little chuckle and looks down at him for a second, before looking back up. His face scrunches up and he chokes on another tear. "I love you," he whispers, turning a corner slightly.

By the time he's reached the hospital half a mile away, Louis is heavy in his arms. People have started running behind him, collecting for the poor bleeding boy in his arms. All the while, Harry's tears run down his cheeks and land on Louis' forehead, making Louis smile through the pain.

Harry bursts into the hospital, screaming as he does so.

"We need a doctor!" He yells, gasping and panting as a nurse runs over. "He's bleeding!"

A few of the nurses and patients demand and yell for a stretcher, which wheels over to him. Harry helps set Louis down on the stretcher, and Louis reaches out.

"Harry," he croaks, and then his hand falls limp after Harry brushes his fingertips with Louis'. He's rolled away by two nurses and an emergency paramedic.

Harry lets out another little cry and pants as a nurse tries to talk to him. The words being spoken are messy and incomprehensible, and Harry just shakes his head.

"I'm going to pass out," he announces, stumbling a bit and then falling to the floor.

 

~

 

Harry wakes up propped in a chair by a window. He opens his eyes and frowns at the sight; he's in a hospital, a working one, not in a run down one with ghosts. He lets out a shaky breath and looks at the table he's sitting next to. A few folders and papers litter the table, and then around him are police officers.

He clears his throat, earning the attention of a a few officers. "Where's Louis?" He asks quietly.

The officer nearest to him comes up to the table he's seated at and puts a few papers away. "He's being woken up from operation, there was only a bit of internal bleeding and a nearly infected cut," he announces, taking the seat opposite him.

Harry narrows his eyes at the officer as he turns around and waves the three other officers out of the room. "I need to speak to Mr. Styles privately for a minimal amount of time," he says. The officers nod and leave the room, Harry sitting across from the remaining officer with his arms crossed.

The officer sticks out a hand. "Officer Jay," he says. Harry just stares at the hand until he lowers it. The officer sighs and folds his hands on the table.

"So, there's a lot of questions to be asked..." he starts, and Harry sits up.

"Yeah, there is. Like is Louis okay, what happened, what was bleeding, who-"

"No, not those," Officer Jay snorts. "This is about you."

Harry slouches. "Oh."

"Yes. For one, this is the first time in two months that we've seen you. You've been a missing person for that amount of time, the last time you were spotted being with your buddy Niall Horan, and... well, you know the details of that story."

"I do," Harry says, nodding. "I've come back."

"Can we ask where you were?"

Harry shakes his head. "I... I was hiding, but I wasn't dead. Nice assumption."

"We needed answers for your mother," he grunts, flipping open one of the folders on the table. He slides a paper in front of Harry. On it is a picture of Niall and him, sitting there smiling up at the camera. The picture had been taken exactly four days before Niall's death.

"Look, Mr. Styles- er, Harry," Officer Jay says. "You've been gone for two months and came back for this boy. He was bleeding, almost dead. Niall died. Be honest-"

"I didn't hurt Louis and I didn't murder Niall!" Harry yells, lunging forward. The words come out of his mouth before he can control them. "Why would you think I'd murder my friend and try my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Officer Jay asks.

Harry huffs, leaning back against the seat. "Yeah... yeah, he's my boyfriend."

"Mr. Tomlinson lives in this city. Where were you all this time if you were maintaining a relationship?"

"Does it matter?" Harry whispers. "When's he coming into the room?"

Officer Jay gives him a look of annoyance. "He'll be in this room momentarily, but we're not getting anywhere if you don't-"

The door opens, and Harry pushes himself up. Instead of seeing the end of a hospital bed though, he sees the officers return.

"I thought I told you to wait," Officer Jay grumbles.

"Mr. Styles has a visitor," another officer replies. Out from between them walks Harry's mother.

Harry sucks in a deep breath and stares at her. Her eyes land on Harry and she chokes out a tear. Her arms fling open and Harry just walks into them, hugging her tightly. His eyes drift shut as he feels his mother shaking in his arms, crying.

"Are you coming home?" She whispers. Harry furrows his eyebrows, his eyes growing wet.

"Yes, mum," he laughs. "I'm coming home." He hugs her for what seems like minutes on end, just thinking. He's hugging his mum. He left her thinking that her son was dead, did something stupid and died with his friend. Well... his boyfriend. Technically, they were both his boyfriends, but Harry's mum hadn't known. Now he was going to tell her everything, have her understand for if he has to leave again.

He sighs and pulls away, wiping a thumb under his mum's eyes. "Don't cry," he chuckles, and then steps away.

From the hallway comes a hospital bed, Louis' small, fragile figure lying in it. Harry swallows thickly and watches the bed roll into the room and be set up, Louis' sleeping form being poked and prodded.

"Louis," Harry smiles, walking up to the bed when everyone had cleared away from it. He pulls a chair up next to the bed, and even though everyone in the room is staring at him, he kisses his forehead and sits down.

"I missed you," he says, holding Louis' hand within his, being careful not to mess up the IV's. He stares at him, takes note of the way his eyelashes fan over his cheekbones. He studies the delicacy of his lips, the hollows in his cheeks, the curves of his eyebrows. He takes note of the way the small scratch on his forehead contrasts with his perfectly clear skin.

The officers clear out of the room in ten minutes will all of their files, deciding it wasn't the best time. His mum watches him from the doorway, watching the way Harry treats Louis like glass.

"So... so he's your boyfriend?" His mum says quietly, coming to the end of the bed. Harry looks up at her, his thumb stroking the back of Louis' hand. He nods.

"Yes, mum. He's my boyfriend and I love him."

His mum smiles, blinking slowly. Harry's gaze returns to Louis. "I'm so proud of you," his mum says, chuckling. "So, so proud."

Harry smiles, and then frowns. Louis' eyes move under the sockets and Harry closes his eyes, humming a tune he's just made up.

His mum watches, and then gathers her things, slipping out of the room with no goodbye. Harry sighs, looking at Louis.

"So... so that happened," he whispers, deciding to talk to Louis while he's sleeping. "So Niall's pretty ticked at me. I'll have to have a talk with him... sometime. Not any time soon. When we meet in hell, probably. Believe me, I'm no angel. I mean... I don't even think there is a heaven or a hell, so who knows when I'll get to beat Niall up?" He chuckles, shifting a bit in his chair. He leans forward, continuing on.

"I love you. I know we only met... but there's something about you. Maybe it's the way you came back to me. The psychopath hiding away in the Holmes Chapel Hospital, who would've thought? You did, I guess. That's why you're special. You... you didn't judge, I guess? You're curious? I don't know, but I love you... and I'll never make a mistake with you like I did Niall. About him... I kind of... oh god. This sounds so awful."

He stays silent for a few minutes, just listening to the beeping of the heart monitor. "We... we were in that hospital two months ago. And we got down to that room with the electrical chair. I dared him to sit in it. He did. And it turned on... it turned on, and he looked at me and told me to stop it. He was so scared. I couldn't even do anything about it... I'm so guilty. I can never forgive myself. But you... you, Louis. I love you, and I'm not going to screw up, okay?" He waits for the response that will never come, thinking of something Louis would say back, and he chuckles.

"You're funny," he says. "And cute. Adorable. Sensitive. The list could go on... but most of all, you're going to be mine, okay? You're going to wake up and we're going to be with each other. One and only, forever and always. Cheesy, I know."

He stands up, sighing. He leans down and places a light kiss to Louis' lips. He swears he can see Louis smiling, just barely, the side of his mouth turning up. He smiles, kisses him again and then lets go of his hand.

"I'll see you in the morning tomorrow, okay Lou?" He whispers. "I've got to go home to my sister and my mum. We have a little bit of making up to do."

He walks to the door, looking back at Louis. "I love you," he whispers.

 

 ~

 

Harry comes back the next day at 7am when visiting hours start and sits next to Louis for three hours, in the silence. He holds his hand except for when the nurses come in, whispering nonsense to him. At around 10am, Louis finally begins to stir.

Harry rubs circles into his hand as he wakes up, eyes squinting at Harry. Louis smiles, making Harry chuckle at how silly he looks. "Good morning Lou," Harry says.

"Hi," Louis says, looking around the room and frowning. "What..."

"Erm, yeah, careful on your side," Harry says, jumping up and grabbing Louis by the shoulders to keep him still. "You were stabbed."

"Oh..." he says, and then raises a finger slowly and points at Harry as he sits down. "And you brought me here?"

Harry nods. "Yeah, stupid. I left for you."

Louis makes a small "O" with his lips and then lets his head fall back onto the pillow. He breathes heavily for a few minutes and then frowns.

"Why could Niall do that?" He asks quietly, looking over at Harry and gripping his fingers. Harry smiles and looks down at his feet.

"It was the summer solstice..." he wanders off, tapping his feet. "They got strong, made themselves real."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Which is why we have one more thing left to do."

Louis looks up and raises an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Torch the asylum. Burn it and its hauntings down to the ground."

Louis laughs, shaking his head and smiling. "It's not an asylum," he giggles. Harry rolls his eyes and chuckles, running a hand through Louis' feathery hair.

"Okay, abandoned hospital with somewhat crazy spirits in it. Better?" Louis nods, and Harry smiles so his dimples show.

"Yeah, but why?"

“Because… because there’s some dark people in there, and they’re going to just get stronger. Stronger as more solstices pass. Niall’s pissed at me and he’s been following me wherever he can. He’s going to murder me, and possibly you, when he can get his hands on us again. It’s hard to… you know, let go. But we need to. To end all the madness, burn the place of death, send the spirits where they shall go… right?” Harry says, looking over at Louis for approval. The older boy snorts, wincing with the protest from his side, and rolling his eyes.

"You've been watching too many murder mysteries," he jokes.

"No, I've been living in one."

Louis stares at him contently for a few minutes before burying his head in his pillow. He takes his hand away from Harry's to reposition it, grumbling.

"This pillow is shit," he announces, sitting up. His hand hovers over his side and he hisses. "This is awful."

"You'll be back on your feet in a month at the most. Don't give up on me, right?"

Louis raises a brow. "Give up on you?"

"I don't know... I was trying to be deep."

"Do me a favor," Louis says, fluffing his pillow and looking at Harry expectantly, "and never try to be deep again."

Harry laughs and leans forward, giving Louis a little kiss. Louis falls back against his pillow and shuts his eyes, letting out an extended sigh.

"I love you, Harry," he whispers, holding out his hand. Harry takes it and squeezes, his thumb nearly moving the IV out of place.

"I love you too, Lou. Rest."

 

~

 

The month leading up to the torching of the hospital was none short of insanity. Harry was working all day to patch up the damaged relationships with his mum and his sister. If he wasn't doing that, he was trying his best to come up with lies about his disappearance, Niall's death, and how he found Louis. Louis was healing and working on all of the schoolwork he missed. He was also busy trying to find new friend groups, since his own had ditched him after he failed to show up for the grand prank.

Exactly one month from meeting each other, Louis and Harry met up outside of the hospital at midnight that Saturday night, Louis equipped with salt, Harry with fire.

Louis runs across the street and lands on the sidewalk, running around to the back of the building. He shivers in the cold and looks around for Harry. He hears footsteps and turns around, a huge smile covering his face as Harry wraps him in his arms.

"Ello babe," he says, laughing. "Ready?"

Louis shrugs, whipping out his gallon of salt. "Where do I put it?"

"Just layer the doorways, don't bother with the windows."

Harry follows after Louis, a hand on Louis' hip and guiding him around. It was a sense of protectiveness Harry had developed for the lad ever since Niall had gotten ahold of him; he felt as though if he wasn't touching Louis, someone else would.

Louis giggles when Harry's fingers slip into the waistline of his jeans. "Not here!" He whines, setting the salt down on the sidewalk. He laughs again as Harry pulls him into him, kissing the top of his head and chuckling. Louis' head bounces with the vibrations of Harry's chest.

"You're adorable," Harry says, earning a nod from Louis.

"I know."

Louis picks up the empty salt container and throws it through a broken window into the building. Harry picks up a piece of dry wood and lights a match, igniting the end of the stick. He carefully rubs it against the edge of the building, making sure it catches, and watches as it begins to spread. He throws the branch into the building and the fire whips around the room, catching a few floor panels on fire.

They step back, crossing the sidewalk into the opposite side of the street. They stand below the low-cost apartments of the old city and watch as the building begins to glow red. The North Wing is halfway lit when Harry takes Louis' hand.

They stand there, holding hands, watching the fire flick and crackle. It's been what feels like ten minutes when Harry sees a figure emerging. From the middle of the fire comes Niall, his transparency striking.

Niall walks right up to the pair and laughs. "See you in hell, buddy," he says, and then turns back to the fire as a flame obscures him.

Harry's grip on Louis' hand tightens and his jaw clenches. Louis looks up at him uncertainly, placing a small hand on his chest. "Are you okay?" he asks gently.

Harry nods sternly, glaring at the burning building. "There's no such place as a heaven or a hell."

Louis rests his head against Harry's chest, one hand finding itself gripping the material of Harry's denim jacket. Louis looks up at him and blinks.

"Then I better make my time on Earth with you," he says, earning a snort from Harry. He leans down and kisses the older boy, watching the fire carefully.

"You're such a mystery, Louis, and I'm going to take my entire life to figure you out."

**Author's Note:**

> AYYYYE so thanks for reading! That's it from this cheesy rough idea of a one shot, I might write a sequel if this one gets pretty popular? Leave some comments and kudos/votes/likes/reviews from wherever you're reading this and thanks once again! xx


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